S.D. doctors concerned about Medicare payments

March 05, 2008|By Russ Keen

South Dakota doctors are concerned about further reductions in what they receive to care for patients on Medicare, the president of the South Dakota State Medical Association said this week in Aberdeen. And South Dakota doctors also want to narrow the gap between what Medicare pays them compared to New York doctors, for example. “New York doctors get two to three times as much,” said Dr. Tony Berg of Winner, association president. The government's flawed theory is that it costs more to practice medicine in New York and other states with high populations than in rural areas, he said. “They seem to think you can work for peanuts in South Dakota.” Twenty-five states favor an equal playing field and 25 oppose it, and the latter 25 have more political power, he said. The battle for an equal playing field has been ongoing for years, and some little victories have been won, Berg said. Doctors in states like South Dakota receive a little more and those in states like New York get a little less than years ago, he said. The disparity also hurts doctors in states whose populations include a higher than average percentage of senior citizens, such as South Dakota, he said.